


when i'm with you i'm in utopia

by RinAngel



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, BTS Stan AU, Childhood Friends, Fluff, M/M, Needlessly cute boys for no reason, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24644209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinAngel/pseuds/RinAngel
Summary: Taehyun has seen BTS live before, but Kai had already moved away to America by that point, so Taehyun had done it alone. It was incorrect, the /wrong way/ to experience a BTS concert. And really, that's why he's here.(Written for a prompt challenge: Childhood crush / "Hey! This is our song!")
Relationships: Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49
Collections: June 2020 Prompt Week





	when i'm with you i'm in utopia

The night was warm, and the sidewalks were crowded as fans streamed out of the venue and into the streets. Everyone was laughing, singing, screaming, crying— riding the post concert high of seeing and meeting BTS.  _ BTS! _ It wasn’t Taehyun’s first time seeing them live, but he still could barely believe it.

His first time had been the year before, in Seoul, but it wasn’t quite as fun as he’d imagined his first concert to be.  _ Well, because there was nobody to go with me.  _ Stanning BTS had been a lot more fun in middle school, when Kai had been by his side through every major moment. They’d stay up late for teasers together, blow off homework to watch Bangtan Bombs together, they were even motivated enough to start teaching themselves BTS choreography, which was certainly one of the major reasons that Kai had decided on dancing as a career. BTS had sucked them together when they were young, given them something mutual to bond over, and two years after Kai’s family had moved overseas to America, BTS had brought them back together again. Kai was a hell of a lot taller than he’d been two years ago, with long, shaggy hair and a stud in the side of his nose, but the feeling was  _ exactly _ the same.

“I can’t believe I actually made up-close eye contact with Jungkook,” Taehyun spoke aloud the only thought that had been in his head since the moment itself. Jungkook was  _ unbelievably  _ handsome in person, eyes light and sparkly despite what had to be an exhausting tour— 

“And did you see the way he smiled when you greeted him? Probably shocked that a Korean fan followed them to LA to see their show,” Kai teased, casually grabbing onto Taehyun’s arm to keep from getting lost as they sought out the car. Kai’s family lived over an hour outside of the city, in a quaint little town on the coast, so they had quite the drive in store for themselves. Worth it, though.  _ All _ worth it, to see BTS with Kai, the way he was always supposed to.

“Probably thought I was crazy,” Taehyun agreed, though it couldn’t dampen his smile. He clung to Kai right back, holding his hand shamelessly, and wondered if he  _ was _ crazy.  _ What would be crazier? Coming all the way here for them, or for you? _

They’d had to park several blocks away from the venue, but Taehyun honestly didn’t mind the walk, when it gave him and Kai more time to banter back and forth about the show. It really  _ had _ been amazing. Perfect setlist, perfect seats— towards the back of the pit, where they could see everything without the hassle of getting shoved, climbed on, or trampled. And then, of course, that perfect hi-touch at the end. (To be honest, meeting BTS  _ did _ get Taehyun starstruck enough to forget about Kai standing right behind him. Just for a second, though. They were all so  _ dazzling _ in person, like they weren’t just stars but  _ made of _ stars.)

“Honestly,” Kai was saying as he slipped behind the wheel of his car and buckled himself in, checking his mirrors while he waited for Taehyun. “There are so many K-pop concerts in LA, and I would go to more of them if I had someone to go with. None of my friends here are into it. All the other music majors I know take their music way too seriously, it’s like they forget that music is meant to be enjoyed!” He started the car, quiet for a second, the multi-colored dash lights flickering in his dark eyes. “I like it here, but I don’t have a best friend here, I hope you know that. That position still belongs to you.”

“You’re going to make me sad!” Taehyun complained with a weak chuckle, trying to keep under wraps how sad it genuinely  _ was. _ “I should talk to my parents about transferring to UCLA with you so we can be roommates. UCLA is a good school!”

“Yeah, but so is Kyung Hee University. I can’t believe you’re going to be a doctor! You might be too smart to hang out with me now,” Kai teased, passing the aux cord to Taehyun for music. “But you should try anyway,” he added quickly, flashing Taehyun one more breathtaking smile before they were merging with traffic and Kai had to devote his full attention to the road. “I’d love to live together! Although knowing us, we’d never get any studying done. We’d blast a shitload of BTS and spend our weekends holed up playing Animal Crossing. Nothing between us has changed.”

“Nothing has changed,” Taehyun agreed softly, finally selecting a song:  _ Tomorrow, _ his very favorite by BTS. And despite the chaos going on in his head, things felt nostalgically simple in that moment— just himself and Kai, singing with everything they had.  _ “Don’t get too far away, tomorrow.” _ Sometimes they would fall into conversation, memories about growing up together in Korea, stories about their new friends and lives in college, theoretical plans for when Taehyun transferred to UCLA and they found an apartment together. Other times, the  _ perfect _ song came on shuffle, and they would drop the conversation and just sing themselves hoarse.

Taehyun didn’t remember when it happened, but at some point, Kai’s hand had found his own on top of the center console, or maybe his hand had found Kai’s. Either way, their fingers had laced together somewhere along the road, and when Taehyun noticed it, he couldn’t  _ un- _ notice it. It made him think of the hundreds of times, probably, that Kai had held his hand and Taehyun had wished his friend meant something by it. It reminded him of Kai’s last day in Korea, when Taehyun had presented Kai with his favorite BTS sweatshirt to wear on the plane ride home (complete with JUNGKOOK 97 on the back), and Kai had teared up and kissed him on the cheek. Truthfully, the kiss was more like a bump of Kai’s face against Taehyun’s cheek when he hugged him, but Taehyun thought of it as a kiss, anyway. It was nicer that way.

“I’m tired,” Kai announced with a little yawn as he pulled slowly down the little suburban street that he called home. It was nearly 1 in the morning already, and he quickly turned off the headlights once the car was in the driveway, but he paused just as he was about to kill the engine. “Wait— did this come on shuffle? Or did you pick this?”

Taehyun fell silent to listen— the opening notes were soft, but he would have known them anywhere, and Jungkook’s honey-smooth voice joined the instrumental a moment later:  _ “You’re the sun that rose over my life, you’re my reincarnated childhood dreams…” _

“It’s on shuffle,” Taehyun confirmed, feeling his mouth go dry. It might have been coincidence, but it felt like a sign from the universe.  _ “I don’t know what these emotions are. Am I still dreaming?” _

“Well, we gotta let the song finish before we get out.  _ Euphoria _ is one of my favorites,” Kai dictated, shutting off the engine but leaving on the stereo for Jungkook’s sweet, crooning voice. After a second, he spoke again, even his whisper slightly amused: “This song always makes me think of you. Maybe just because you’re Jungkook biased, but… I don’t know. It feels like our song.”

Oh, yes. It was definitely a sign from the universe.  _ “It’s getting clearer, take my hands now…” _

“Taehyun?”

“Huh?” He’d been staring, not that that meant much in the dark. It still made him blush.

“You’re so quiet. What are you thinking about?”

It felt like he couldn’t say it, but then his mouth opened and the word came out, his body more bold than his brain: “You.” He gave Kai’s hand a squeeze, thinking once more about that kiss, that  _ maybe-kiss. _ Taehyun wanted something more than a maybe, and the atmosphere was perfect… and Kai was just sitting there and looking at him, like he was  _ waiting  _ for it. Gathering every bit of courage he had, Taehyun leaned in, his fingertips finding the line of Kai’s jaw in the dark— and then their lips bumped together, eager but tentative, clumsy but soft. For the first second, they both seemed to be holding their breath, but then it was like Kai  _ melted  _ into him and their nerves seemed to fall away. For a few seconds, at least, there was nothing that existed outside of the car. Just Taehyun, and Kai, fingers twined, eyes closed, lips together,  _ hearts _ together.  _ Euphoria. _

When they broke apart, there was a long moment of quiet, nothing but Jungkook’s unbothered voice coming out of the stereo. It was Kai who finally found words, though his voice was shaky: “I’ve been thinking about that since— god, since before I moved. Every day since then, I’ve regretted not kissing you when I could have, Tae…”

Taehyun was trembling, he was sure Kai could feel it, but his voice was smooth enough as he answered: “Yeah, but now we have all the time in the world. Let’s not go inside yet… one more song?”

“Sounds good. Let me see…” Kai eased Taehyun’s phone out of his hand, and tapped the screen just a couple times. Once more, the opening notes of  _ Euphoria _ filled the car, and euphoria filled the tiny space between them too, where their hearts would finally be allowed to grow together.

_ “I hear the far-away ocean, _ _  
_ _ Across the dream, over the horizon, _ __  
_ It’s getting clearer, take my hands now, _ _  
_ __ You are the cause of my euphoria.”


End file.
